‘It’s less about the exercise and more about the headspace’

JOHN BURKE, Owner, Armada Hotel, Co Clare

In 2017, after years of training, explorer and hotel owner John Burke summited Mount Everest. Surprisingly, hill walking hadn’t been a lifelong passion for the Clare man. In fact, until his late twenties, he had focused almost entirely on his career, to the detriment of exercise. “I was 28; I had never done any form of hillwalking or anything at all prior to that,” he explains. “I was at that point in my life where I knew it was going to go one way or the other for me; either downhill in terms of my health and wellbeing, or I could make a change.”

Coming across an article about climbers and Mount Everest proved to be his lightbulb moment. “That was something that appealed to me straight away.”

Since achieving his goal of climbing Everest, John and his wife Aoibhin Garrihy have become parents. It has meant adjusting his training approach somewhat — little Hanorah celebrated her first birthday in July this year.

“It is a transition,” John says of the change of pace. “I guess when I’m out walking with Hanorah and Aoibhin, it’s less about the exercise and more about some headspace — getting out with them for some family time.”

He still earmarks time for training too. “I’m still going to hike Carrauntoohil or get a trail run in. Walking before was probably always with a view to getting some physical benefit out of it, but now it’s also about having some family time.”

Both John and Aoibhin are running their own businesses and that means life is busy. But it makes walking with their young daughter a priority. “We love time out and about walking, whether it’s on the beach in Spanish Point or further afield,” John says. “It is great downtime and a great time to connect and chat; to get outside our own heads, outside the routines at home. I think it’s great for Hanorah, connecting with the fresh air, a bit of a cold blast on her face, a little bit of a rain shower down on top; it all helps build her resilience as well.”

Their favourite walk as a family is along the Cliffs of Moher, where John proposed to Aoibhin. It’s also where he trained, with trail runs, for Everest. Since the arrival of Hanorah, they have taken a slightly shorter route, walking from Liscannor to the Cliffs of Moher Centre, then taking the bus back. “The scenery is amazing and the path is nice,” says John. “It’s a place that means a lot to us.”